The Green Bay Packers are heading into the first month of the regular season with a need for somebody to grab hold of a bigger role, and Barryn Sorrell is starting to look like a real answer. With Micah Parsons still working back from a major injury, the Packers will have to spread the load around, and Sorrell has quietly become one of the names to watch.
Parsons made that clear when he spoke to the press and singled out the former fourth-round pick for the way he has carried himself around the team.
"Even when I was in the rehab phase, and he was out there with Collin (Oliver) and Stack (Nazir Stackhouse) and all those guys at the house, he was still leading," Parsons told the press. "I told DC (DeMarcus Covington), I said you should count on Barryn being a leader, because he was holding guys to the standard that I would or I would expect him to do."
Green Bay drafted Sorrell out of Texas with the No. 124 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, and his first season was mostly about limited chances. He played in 14 games as a rookie and logged 206 snaps, with most of that work coming in the regular-season finale. He finished with 15 tackles, one tackle for loss, and 1.5 sacks.
That role was always going to be crowded. Parsons, Lukas Van Ness, and Rashan Gary were in the mix, which left Sorrell fighting for scraps.
Now the picture has changed. Gary is gone, Parsons is injured, and suddenly there’s real room for someone to take on more.
The Packers are also expected to give rookie Dani Dennis-Sutton plenty of chances to win a job, though the team’s usual approach with rookies could leave Sorrell ahead of him for now. Parsons is still the strongest candidate to resume things once he’s fully healthy, with Van Ness the likeliest starter in the meantime.
That leaves Sorrell competing with Collin Olliver, Brenton Cox, Arron Mosby, and Nyjalik Kelly for a roster spot and a larger role. Even with that crowded field, Parsons’ praise stands out. Sorrell is not just getting noticed for his play; he’s making an impression as a voice in the room, too.
He also worked out with Parsons before training camp, and the early signs around him have been positive. He’s said to look leaner, more explosive, and more aggressive. Whether that turns into more snaps is still to be determined, but he’s clearly moving in the right direction.
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